One of the reasons WoW had 14 million subscribers

[Elegance]

So if they had cast times listed instead would this "issue" vanish for everyone?

Though it's easier if the player base just learns for themselves because changing "instant" to "cast time" isn't going to change a single thing and the attack will still come out at the same speed it always has. Just now you'll have a fancy cast time label on them.

Animation times take a factor in how the game plays out. To inform players of that they should add that to the help section in game if it is causing confusion or an issue for players.

It won't change anything, but at least the tooltip won't be a lie.

[Calypsx]

It won't change anything, but at least the tooltip won't be a lie.

We will have to also rework all the spells cast times in the game to display the right time as well, because spell attacks like "Fire" don't hit the enemy exactly at 2.5 seconds like it's cast time says it does. The animation still has to play out after the casting and the fireball still has to fly towards the enemy and hit them, making it seem more like 3+ seconds instead of 2.5 like the tooltip says.

The "cast time" determines when the attack fires off and starts, not when the attack hits the opponent. Moves like "Touch of Death" start instantly, but the impact of the attack doesn't hit until around .8+ seconds in. The spell still starts instantly though.

Maybe add an animation time tooltip to the skill? Would that be more helpful? I'm all for adding a animation time tooltip if it helps people learn more about their abilities and how to effectively use them.

[JamieLee]

I also thought people were against dumbing down the game? It is evidently dumbing down the game, to spell out that casting time and animation time are not the same.

No if say you cast something that is supposed to be instant cast but in fact theres a .5 second to 1.0 second animation for the cast it is in fact not instant cast do to the fact you have a .5 to 1 second cast time So the tool tip is in fact wrong do to the fact the animation is now the cast timer... Cause you still have to wait for the animation to finish to use another ability.. Thats the point i was trying to make sorry for the confusion.

[PerrythePlatypus]

They (didn't) have 14 million SUBSCRIBERS. They ( had) 14 million ACCOUNTS. That includes Korean pay-per-hour players, Chinese, etc.
And it's the hello kitty island of MMORPG's. The sub or player base doesn't necessarily mean it's objectively awesome.
I mean...the Backstreet Boys sold millions, and they're a horrendous festering boil on music histories arse.

[Meklore]

WoW's success, imo, was due to timing.

They are a reputable company that produced a less time consuming mmo in a time when alot of players were looking for that type of game.
The continued success is akin to of XI, they both fulfill a niche